


After the War

by silvertonguescribbler



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: ? - Freeform, Alcohol, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, One Shot, Post-Canon, Weed, catnip, cute fluffy ending cause I can't wait for s5, i guess?, idk i don't remember how to tag things here, love and forgiveness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23487337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvertonguescribbler/pseuds/silvertonguescribbler
Summary: The war is over, Horde Prime is defeated, and the Queen of Bright Moon is hosting a party to celebrate. Everyone should finally be at peace and getting along, right?
Relationships: Adora & Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 76





	After the War

“And finally, a toast to you, brave citizens, for standing strong and not letting our planet be taken from us!” Glimmer finished, raising her glass. “Now, let the party begin!”

The crowd roared beneath her, raising their cups as well in rowdy celebration, and Glimmer motioned to the guards to open the palace doors. People swarmed in, filling the celebration hall almost instantly. The other princesses, gathered around Queen Glimmer on the small viewing balcony, chattered amongst themselves, eager to join the festivities downstairs. Off to the side, apart from the others, Catra leaned against the balcony, staring off into the distance. 

As the others trickled down to mingle with the rest of the guests, Glimmer walked over to stand beside Catra.

“You know you don’t have to set yourself apart like this, right?” She asked gently, laying her hand on top of Catra’s. “You’re one of us now.”

“I guess so.” Catra didn’t meet Glimmer’s eyes. “It’s just… Adora…”

“I know,” Glimmer finished. The two hadn’t really spoken since Adora and Bow had rescued them from Horde Prime, and Glimmer knew it was a hard subject for both of them.

“Yeah.” Catra said shortly. She dug into her pocket and produced a small, neatly rolled joint.

“Really, already?” Glimmer arched one eyebrow skeptically. Catra rolled her eyes.

“Relax, Sparkles, it’s just catnip.”

Glimmer opened her mouth to respond but Catra was already untwisting the joint and tipping the contents into her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully for a moment, her eyes slowly dilating. 

“Okay,” Catra said, her tone a mixture of resignation and excitement. 

"You know I'll be here for you, right?" 

"Yeah yeah, whatever Sparkles," Catra said, but she sounded relieved despite her blase remark . Glimmer squeezed her hand reassuringly and then stepped away, letting Catra make her own decision on when she'd join the rest of the group downstairs. 

Glimmer headed down, gathering her large ballgown around her and sweeping down the stairs to join her court. It still felt odd to be the queen of a land at peace, to be attending a grand celebration full of laughter and music instead of a war meeting. She made her way over to the bar, downing a shot before turning her attention to her guests. 

“Glim, there you are!” Adora’s familiar voice sounded from behind her, and Glimmer jumped as the taller girl tackle-hugged her. “Bow and I have been looking EVERYWHERE for you.”

Bow waved from beside Adora, a glass of wine in his hand. Adora smelled like sweat and alcohol, and she nuzzled into Glimmer’s neck, her arms still tightly wrapped around her. 

“C’mere, Bow,” Adora reached out for him, and Bow joined the hug, wrapping his arms around his two best friends. Adora sighed contentedly. “I love you guys, you know? Like, I LOVE you. So. Much.”

“We love you too, Adora,” Glimmer replied, allowing herself to lean into the hug for a moment before pulling back to look at Adora. “Jesus, how much have you had to drink? You’ve been down here for like ten minutes!”

“One and a half,” Bow piped up, lifting his wine glass. ”She had a cocktail and then she stole half my wine.”

“You weren’t gonna drink it anyway, s’fine,” Adora retorted, elbowing him. Bow glared at her, but there was a flash of laughter in his eyes.They all knew she was right. Bow had been pouring his wine into the palace plants since he and Glimmer were kids. 

“Was too!”

“Whatever. I wanna dance!” Adora snatched Bow’s glass again and finished it, scrunching up her face at the taste. “That is disgusting, by the way.”

Glimmer rolled her eyes, but Adora was already heading into the crowd, toward where the band was playing. 

___________________

Adora still wasn’t used to these things called “parties,” but she thought she was getting the hang of it. The Horde didn’t believe in such frivolous activities, but Adora had been to a couple parties already, and she was pretty confident she knew what to do at them. The Horde didn't have alcohol either. That was certainly new to her. Adora still wasn’t quite sure what it was but she knew she liked it. It made her feel light and bubbly and free, it dulled the ache of anxiety in her chest and made the harsh memories of war seem a little farther away. 

Adora mingled with the dancers in front of the band, which was playing a jaunty tune. She found Frosta and spun her around in the air as if she weighed no more than a ragdoll, and their raucous laughter rang out over the crowd. She spotted Scorpia and twirled over, doing an elaborate bow and nearly tripping herself in the process. A strong red claw reached out to steady her and she took it gratefully, allowing Scorpia to twirl her like a spinning top. 

“Having fun, Scorpia?” Adora asked, still swaying, though whether it was to the music or simply because of the drinks was unclear. 

“Yeah, I never imagined seeing something like this again!” Scorpia gestured at the merry crowd around them. “I kind of figured dancing would always be something to do alone, what with the Horde…” She trailed off, looking distant for a moment. “But this is so much fun! It’s great to see everyone getting along.”

“Couldn’t agree more, my guy,” Adora said, already spinning away. She scanned the crowd for more familiar faces, and noticed she was close to the bar again. Glimmer and Bow weren't where she left them, and despite knowing that the war was over, Adora felt a spike of anxiety pierce her chest. She forced it down, taking a deep breath. This was a party, for them. All of them. Everyone was safe and no one was going to hurt anyone else. It was okay.

Eh, one more drink wouldn’t hurt, would it?

She stood against the bar, sipping something the bartender had called a pink unicorn, before she spotted Perfuma and Mermista outside on the balcony, passing something back and forth and giggling. Filled with a new purpose, Adora pushed herself off the bar and ambled in their direction. It felt like she was swimming through the crowd, and she tried very hard not to spill her drink.

“Whatcha guys doin’ out here?” Adora asked, sliding up against the balcony next to Perfuma.

“Oh, it’s an herb I’ve been growing in the gardens here. It’s quite fun, do you want some?” Perfuma extended an open hand towards Adora, holding a small glass pipe.

Adora sniffed the thin snake of smoke trailing up from it, wrinkling her nose at the smell. “What’s it for?”

“Makes you feel good,” Mermista answered, reaching around to grab the pipe from Perfuma. She inhaled deeply from it and blew the smoke straight up above their heads. “And hungry. Perf, I’m starving, where’s Sea Hawk? I sent him to get some of those tiny sandwiches they have over there like, _ages_ ago.”

“I… I think this is enough for me, thank you.” Adora raised her half-empty glass. Mermista shrugged. 

“More for us then. Have you seen Sea Hawk? I really want those tiny sandwiches.”

“I don’t think so, I…” Adora craned her neck to look, and felt her stomach drop as she spotted a familiar figure by the food table. Not Sea Hawk, but Catra, leaned against the wall, arms crossed over her chest and a vacant look on her face. “I have to go, guys. Enjoy your, uh, plant thing!”

Adora headed in Catra’s direction, as quickly as her jello-y body would let her, determined to at least get her to talk to her. Catra had been strange and distant toward her ever since the rescue, barely uttering a word to Adora, while she and Glimmer seemed to share new inside jokes from their time together with Horde Prime. Adora had to confront her. 

“Catra!” Adora said loudly, coming up beside her. Catra jumped slightly, and Adora noticed her tail puff up a little. 

“Hey, Adora,” Catra answered, trying and failing to keep her voice cool and steady. “You enjoying the party?”

Adora narrowed her eyes. “Are you?”

Silence grew between them like an invisible wall, and Adora wondered if this was really the right thing to do. Maybe she should have just left Catra alone. 

“Look, I’m sorry, I -” Adora started, but Catra cut her off.

“What are you sorry for? You did the right thing.” Catra said bitterly. “You always do.”

“Catra…” Adora reached for her hand but Catra jerked it away, holding it close to her body like Adora’s touch had burned her. “You did the right thing too, in the end. You did the wrong thing first but you’re better than that now. You’ve grown. And - and even if you don’t want to be around me anymore I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for anything I did that hurt you. That was never what I was trying to do. And I’m proud of you.”

“Yeah, right.” Catra snorted at that, turning her face away, but Adora could see the glint of tears in her eyes. 

“You were the only good thing I knew back in the horde, and I… I never wanted to lose you. I never wanted to leave you behind. So, I’m sorry.”

Catra stayed silent, half facing away from Adora. She picked up an ornate little cake from the food table and poked at it, meticulously crushing each tiny icing rose between her claws. She was NOT going to cry at this stupid, fancy rebel party. 

“Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?” Adora prompted, her voice cautious and soft, like when she used to coax catra out from under the covers when she was scared as a kid. SHe reached out to touch Catra’s arm again, and this time, Catra didn’t pull away. She shoved the tiny cake in her mouth and then turned to face Adora, a resolute look on her face.

“Yes. I’m sorry I was such an asshole to you. It wasn’t right, I should have trusted you. We promised to stick together and trust each other and I… didn’t. And… I guess I’m sorry for beating you up all those times too,” she added, smirking a little. Adora grinned back, and it was like the sun itself had decided to attend the party, blinding Catra.

“You totally didn’t beat me up, I was beating YOU up!” Adora teased, and Catra found herself smiling, genuinely this time, at the familiar bickering. 

“And I guess I don’t - I don’t not want you around,” Catra blurted out, sort of without meaning to.

“What?” Adora looked confused and Catra felt her cheeks heat up. 

“You said it was okay if I didnt want you around anymore. Earlier. And… I don’t. I mean, I want you around. Ugh, this is so stupid!” Catra was babbling but she couldn’t stop herself. “I’m going outside. You can come if you want. I mean. I’d like you to come with me. If you want.”

“Okay.” Adora smiled. This was nice. This was… comfortable. Like it always was. She followed Catra outside and stood beside her, looking out over Bright Moon, light up in celebration. “It’s beautiful, don’t you think?” Catra paused, taking in the scene around her for a moment before turning her gaze back to her former best friend. 

“Yeah, it is,” she said softly. She turned and slid down to sit on the ground, tucking her knees under her chin. “I’m just kind of in shock just being here.”

“I know how you feel.” Adora knelt to face her, staring into Catra’s mismatched eyes with her own piercing blue ones. “It’s so different here, than back home - back in the Horde, I mean. But it’s better, I promise. And you’ll get used to it. It’ll be okay.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Catra looked away. She didn’t like talking about feelings much. “Hey, I’ve got some catnip from Perfuma, you want any?” Adora chuckled. 

“I don’t think that’ll do anything for me, but go right ahead.” She moved so she was next to Catra against the balcony, their arms barely touching. “I think I’ve had enough for tonight anyways.”

“Suit yourself.” Catra shrugged, pulling another delicate roll of catnip out of her jacket pocket. She sniffed it, already feeling the heady rush of it hitting her senses, before taking ripping it in half with her teeth. 

“Well, that isn’t what I expected you to do at all,” Adora said, shaking her head.

“What, you thought I’d smoke it or something?” Catra asked. 

“Well, that’s what Perfuma was doing.”

“Come on, this isn’t weed, Adora.”

“What’s… weed?”

Catra just threw back her head and laughed. Maybe it was just the catnip doing what it did best, or maybe it was the relief of having Adora back at her side, or maybe it was a lot of things all mixed up, but she felt… good. Better than she had in a long time. She slowly leaned over until her head rested on Adora’s shoulder, sighing contentedly when she felt the weight of Adora’s own head leaning on hers. 

“That was a real question, you know,” Adora said, and Catra could hear the pout in her voice.

“You’re so stupid sometimes, Adora.” Catra moved to look up at her and found herself nose to nose with Adora, their faces so close she could feel the heat of Adora’s breath. They stared at each other, and for a moment, time stopped. For a moment nothing in the world existed besides the two of them, and the cold, hard stone of the ground beneath them. Slowly, cautiously, Adora reached her hand to the nape of Catra’s neck, her fingers curling in her tangled hair, sending a shiver down Catra’s spine. 

And then the distance between them was gone, and Catra’s lips met Adora’s, and everything unsaid between them seemed to melt away. They were simply Catra and Adora, Adora and Catra, best friends and _everything_ to each other, just as they always had been. The party continued on around them but it didn’t matter. All Catra cared about was Adora’s hands in her hair and all Adora cared about was the way Catra’s lips felt against her own, and the warmth when Catra rested a hand on her waist, and the profound sense of rightness that swept over both of them when they were together. 

\------------------------

“Glimmer, Glimmer, it's happening!” Bow said excitedly, putting down his binoculars to elbow her in the ribs. 

“What’s happening? Who are you spying on, Bow?” Glimmer asked tiredly, rubbing the spot bow had elbowed her. 

“Catra and Adora. I told you they were gonna get together at this party. My plan worked perfectly.”

“Your plan? What plan?”

Bow simply held a finger to his lips and winked, before grabbing Glimmer’s hand and raising it above their heads. “Best friend squad is fully back together now woooo!”

Glimmer merely shook her head. “Fucking hell, Bow, you’re so weird.”

**Author's Note:**

> Welp lads I'm back at it after 5 fucking years clean of fanfiction, so I hope yall enjoy it at least. Quarantine and binging She-ra has got me feeling like a mess. Shout out to my group chat for a lotta dumb bullshit that inspired this lmao.


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